A Light That Blinds
by October Fall
Summary: A black-haired vampire stumbles upon the Cullens, trailing an interesting history. His actions are honorable, but his powers are frightening. Fast as Edward, strong as Emmett, smart as Carlisle, and as charasmatic as Jasper. Tell us what you think so far.


Hello! This is Evelyn (ohhemmettx3) and Michelle (m.whisper.to.the.darkness) on our conjoined account. You see, we are co-writing a story, but we seem to have a wee bit of a porblem (coughcough BREAKING DAWN coughcough) So, it was a good book, but not good for our fanfiction! Anyway, this story (AU) has an OC who you shall learn about. The story is third person omnicent, if anybody cares. These are just snippets, so we know if you guys like the idea. So, read, review and enjoy!! :D

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Bella couldn't help but stare at his ruby eyes. She had forgotten how red non-vegetarian eyes could become. Edward nonchalantly stood in front of her, shielding her from the view of this new vampire.

"Hello," the red-eyed vampire said uncertainly, not taking a step forward.

"Who are you?" Edward replied unkindly. Past experiences told him to be wary of charming vampires, although this intruder seemed harmless so far.

"My name is Nathan Logan Laott. And you are?" Nathan said quietly.

"Edward. Cullen." He said, chopping his words short.

Alice suddenly appeared in the clearing with them, becoming alarmed when she saw Edward looking very flustered.

"Hello Alice. This is Nathan. He was passing through, am I correct?" Edward said stiffly, raising an eyebrow at Nathan.

"Yes, I was. Are there more in your coven?" Nathan asked, feigning surprise, but he didn't have to pretend too much. Alice, Alice Cullen was the one he was looking for, and there she was, standing before him.

"…yes," Edward answered unwillingly.

Nathan continued staring at Alice, taken aback by her tiny appearance. The large coven depended on the visions of this tiny creature? It was impossible! He had imagined someone stronger, larger, even a little mean looking, someone that would stand out and be strikingly commanding. The tiny, pixy like vampire in front of him displayed none of his imagined features. He smiled, trying to hide his reaction. And suddenly, Edward's brow furrowed and he slunk even lower, into a full crouch. Alice was surprised.

"Edward?…" she murmured.

And suddenly, her eyes were distant, and her expression became surprised as well.

"What, what is it?" Bella said, frightened, to say the least. Edward bared his teeth.

"What do you want from us?" he growled menacingly. Nathan held up his hands.

"Please, I was just passing through, and I had already stumbled upon one vampire, who insisted that I help her annihilate a large coven who lived here."

Bella visibly stiffened.

"Victoria…" Edward hissed.

"Yes, that was her name." Nathan proclaimed, a smile breaking across his features. "I decided not to take her word on it, and came to see you myself. I mean no harm."

"Was…" Bella said a little faintly.

"Yes. Unfortunately, I didn't believe her, and she seemed like a menace, so I destroyed her," Nathan said apologetically. "Was she a good friend of yours?"

"Not particularly." Alice spoke, looking at him curiously. Why couldn't she see what was going to happen to him in the future?

"Well, most people who aren't friends of Victoria are welcome here." Edward admitted tightly.

There was an awkward silence as everyone waited for the other to say something.

"Well, why don't you come over to our place for a while and sit for a chat?" Alice finally said, not wanting to be impolite. This new visitor was turning out to be very curious indeed.

He smiled warmly. "That would be appreciated. Our kind must go longer and be even more careful than we have in the past." He grinned. He didn't seem alarmed that Bella was a human, and Edward was thankful for that.

"I'll show you the way." Alice said welcomingly. It had been a long time since they had stumbled upon a _nice_ visitor. Edward cautiously straightened up from his stance and looked at Bella. "I couldn't see what he was thinking, and Alice couldn't see anything about his future," he whispered as soon as he was sure they were out of earshot.. Bella bit her lip. As far as anyone knew, she had been the only exception to Edward's talent, and she was still prone to Alice's visions. Who was this new visitor who could block both powers? Edward sensed Bella's confusion as if it were his own.

"Well, he didn't seem barbaric," Bella said quietly.

Edward nodded. "That is true. I wonder what Carlisle will think."

Nathan ran a little ways behind Alice, not wanting her to feel uncomfortable with his presence. He sped through the unfamiliar surroundings, taking in scents and details. The calming aura the town seemed to give off helped him think clearly. He obviously knew that the Edward vampire didn't trust him, and had he not known beforehand that the human girl Bella would be with them, he might not have reacted so civilly. But the most peculiar thing was Alice. He had noticed when her eyes had gone out of focus and it seemed like she had been trying to seek something far away. Maybe his expectations for the said-coven had been too high. He was aware that they had broken through the woods to a private drive, and they quickly came upon a large, grand house.

"Very nice," he murmured.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Nathan stood up and stretched, staring at the quiet scene in front of him. The Cullens were spread out in the living room, reading various books and magazines.

"I'm going to go out for a stroll," he said quietly. He was replied by some nods, and he headed out the door, going toward the mountain range he knew would be on the western border of the state. He could make it back in time; it wouldn't take long to travel fifty miles.

Taking a deep breath, he ran, disappearing through the trees in an instant. He knew that when he was at the peak of a green-topped mountain, agents sent by the Volturi would meet him. This first report was too easy to give; he already had most of the Cullens ensnared by his charming performance, all except for three; Jasper, Edward, and Rosalie. He was surprised that Rosalie disliked him; he had imagined she would be quite taken by his handsome looks and perfect manners.

Sure enough, after he had scaled the mountain, he met two figures in black hoods. "Ah, Jane, Demetri, what a surprise to see you here," he grinned. Jane and Demetri did not look as happy as he did. They hated being put out as messengers; anything that wouldn't involve killing bored them.

"Cauis wants the status and what you've got for us so far," Demetri said in a slow drawl.

Nathan acted surprised. "My, I surely hope he didn't expect me to already have Alice and Edward tied up and perfectly agreeable. But I _can_ tell you my plan. I'll get Alice first, and send her over, and I'll lead Edward to you, by telling him that I think they might have captured her." He said brightly. Jane seemed a little happier by the prospect that he had not and was nowhere near completing his mission.

"What you are doing is so easy I could have done it with hands tied behind my back," she sneered. Nathan raised an eyebrow at her.

"Well, I'm sure that statement is false, because the Cullens are not very warm toward your well-being." He shot back. She snarled.

"Now, now children. Very well, I will tell Cauis you are striving to become friends, and Jane, let's go," Demetri muttered coldly.

"Yes, if you will excuse me, I have some… _easy_ business to attend to," Nathan chuckled, and ran back toward the Cullen residence.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Thunder boomed and rang through the pristine house; Emmett was the only one who seemed to take notice. "Baseball time!" he yelled excitedly. He considered it a perfect time to rematch the other team, mostly Nathan, who had lead the team to win a 302-280. Emmett couldn't wait to kick that bastard's ass. "Meet at the field in three minutes!" he shouted, unable to wait any longer.

Edward sighed, then picked Bella up and ran to catch up with Emmett. Everyone was already gathered, warming up. Nathan kept to the side lines, staring speculatively at the sky.

"Ready to totally get your ass kicked?" Emmett grinned, punching him on the shoulder.

"Not at all, but I was thinking…" he answered, preoccupied.

"You tend to do that more than necessary," Rosalie sneered, trying to turn it into a smile, which made her resemble a pained jack-o-lantern.

"Well, there is this other game that is also very enjoyable, but rather competitive as well. But it all depends on how long the rain lasts…" he said slowly, studiously ignoring Rosalie's snide attitude.

"Let's hear about this game of yours," Alice said cheerily.

"I believe Esme would have to play too though," he said apologetically.

She smiled kindly in response. "It's about time I got to play, but all of you better still play fairly," she glared at Emmett in particular.

"So the game is called Capture the Flag," he began. "Each team has their own flag, or any object, and they have their own territory. There are two teams," Everyone nodded to show they understood. "They also have a place in their territory called 'jail'. Each team member has to cross over to the other side to get the opponent's flag. You must get the flag and bring it to your own side. However, once you are in the opposite's territory, they are allowed to tackle you and bring you to their jail. The only two ways to escape jail are by trying to run back to your own side, or if your team mate tags you, and can walk you safely back to your original side," Nathan explained quickly, hoping to waste as little time as possible. "Oh, and the flag must be visible," Nathan added.

Emmett's face fell a little, until he proclaimed, "Ok, team choosing time!" Emmett and Nathan were team captains, and the rest of the Cullens wordlessly went their own way. Bella watched in surprise; it was almost as if the teams were already pre-chosen. Emmett had Rosalie, Jasper, and Edward, while Nathan led Carlisle, Esme, and Alice. Realizing that she would have to act as chief referee in the game, Bella put on a strict face, which got some chuckles and a grin from Edward. She scowled.

Alice barely noticed the longing look Jasper gave her; excitement resonated everywhere as Esme set up the boundaries, and marked where the jails were.

"Flags?" Edward asked.

"Hey, it can be anything, right? Bella, get over here. You're our flag," Emmett laughed. Her scared expression was followed by a murderous glare from Edward.

"No," he growled.

"I'll be right back," Nathan said, returning seconds later with two javelin shaped stones, one red, one black. He tossed the red one to Emmett, and each team huddled together, trying to silently communicate what their game plan was.

Biting her lip to keep from bursting into laughter, Bella tried to put on a serious face again as the players lined up across from each other, looking as somber as if they were about to beat the person across from them.

"Three…two…one?" Bella said feebly. Suddenly, there were crunches and shouts everywhere as the field exploded with sound. Bella had a hard time keeping up with who was who; from what she could follow, Edward was darting back and forth on his own side, holding the red javelin tightly in one hand. Nathan was his shadow, always seeming to miss Edward by a hair. Carlisle was distracting Emmett successfully; both of them were wrestling, but Carlisle hadn't managed to land himself in jail just yet. Rosalie and Jasper weaved around Alice and Esme, throwing the javelin to each other. Bella thought it was like basketball condensed into three seconds.

Nathan still hadn't caught Edward by the time Jasper had brought the flag back over to his own side.

"Winner!" Bella yelled in an incredulous voice. It took Emmett a few more seconds to finally get off of Carlisle; they were oblivious to the fact that the game had ended.

"Ha!" Emmett yelled in Nathan's face. "You just go served some Emmett-juice!" he laughed, enjoying the victory.

"And it tastes rather… disgusting," Alice rolled her eyes, giving Nathan a sorry look. He smiled back reassuringly.

"Don't worry team. We'll get them," he nodded. And true to his word, Nathan's team won the next game.

"One to one!" Bella bellowed, feeling she was not in control of any aspect of the game.

The game took a particularly nasty turn when Emmett was tackled into jail. "Not fair!" he boomed, shoving Alice and running back toward his side. Jasper was by her side instantly, as was Nathan.

"Time out!" Jasper shouted. "Alice, are you okay?" he breathed, checking for any signs of damage.

"Are you kidding me?" she cried. "Time in!" And the wild pillage for points restarted. The final score was 33-35 when the echoing rumbles of thunder showed signs of stopping. "No, just two more games!" Emmett yelled, angry at losing again to Nathan. Planting himself stubbornly at the line, Emmett glared at Bella. "Call time!" he growled, leering directly at Nathan.

"Sorry Emmett, we can't risk it," Carlisle commanded firmly, and his word was fact.

Nathan smiled. "I'll give your team two pity points; we're tied now," he grinned. Emmett grumbled something about sour gentlemen.

"That was really fun, Nate! Got any more games for a stormy day?" Alice chirped, running alongside him.

He laughed. "You'll just have to see what other tricks I have on some other day!" he replied. A little ways back, Emmett was talking with Jasper.

"I swear, one day I'm going to get _that little bastard!_" Emmett shouted the last part louder, positive that Nathan would hear.

"_Nate?_" Jasper seethed. _So he has his own nickname now?_ "Emmett, answer this question honestly; what do you think of Nathan?" Jasper hissed.

"I think that punk needs to be taught a lesson. He's going to get his ass kicked so hard it's going to land on Mars," Emmett swore, angry that he had found a worthy rival of strength.

"Come now, boys. Don't be like that. Nathan is a very nice gentleman; he's treated you both with nothing but gallantry. Jealousy is a terrible thing that can get in the way," Esme chided. Both of them jumped, not knowing she was behind them. But Jasper suddenly began to ponder the last words she said. Was it really just jealousy that was preventing him from accepting Nathan? Jealousy, that he wasn't the only one for Alice anymore, jealousy, that he wasn't the only one who could dazzle her? That wouldn't explain the hostile feelings from Nathan, though. Edward was annoyed that he couldn't read Nathan's thoughts; Emmett's muscular pride was being put in jeopardy and Rosalie automatically despised anyone who could be considered more powerful than Emmett.

Suddenly Jasper had a thought and shuddered, glad that it wasn't true. Nathan was on their side; if he were to turn against them, they would be completely decimated. Alice wouldn't see it coming, and Edward wouldn't hear him. But he would never hurt them, right? Deciding he would do his best to see that Nathan remained on their side, he promised himself to be nicer to Nathan, even if it meant cutting his heart into little pieces. Jasper would let Alice be with whomever she pleased, and he would not complain. It was a silent test, and Jasper prayed with all his soul that the test would be passed; a part of it would determine if Alice loved him at all.


End file.
